MAKING HISTORY Martin Luther


All of these causes came together in Germany in the early 16th century. The Reformation began here when an Augustinian friar named Martin Luther questioned the way the Catholic Church was run.


Who was Martin Luther?


Martin Luther was born in Eisleben in Germany in 1483. He joined the Augustinian order to become a monk and a priest. He later became Professor of Theology (study of God) at Wittenberg University in Saxony.


What did Luther believe? – Going to heaven


Luther was a holy man who worried about going to heaven (salvation). He was worried that God would not forgive sinners like himself. He found his answer in the Bible. He read that ‘the just man shall live by faith alone’; good deeds or works such as praying to the saints or gaining indulgences (pardons for sins) would not help. l He said only faith in God would allow a person to go to heaven – this was called justification by faith.


What sparked off the Reformation? – Sale of indulgences


In 1517, a Dominican friar, John Tetzel, came to Wittenberg to preach and sell indulgences. Tetzel said that anyone could buy an indulgence to get to heaven.


Half the money collected was to go for the building of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The other half was to go to the Archbishop of Mainz to pay back money he had borrowed to buy bishoprics (simony, pluralism, absenteeism).


What did Luther do? – Luther’s 95 Theses


Luther objected to Tetzel’s preaching. He wrote 95 Theses (arguments) against the sale of indulgences. He wrote them in Latin, the language of scholars, because he wanted to discuss his views with others. He did not set out to begin a rebellion against the Catholic Church. l Luther wrote to the Archbishop of Mainz complaining about the false impressions that the people had about indulgences; ‘the unhappy souls believe that if they have purchased letters of indulgence they are sure of their salvation.’ He included a copy of his 95 Theses with his letter.


124


Key Words Indulgences


Justification by faith 95 Theses


One of the most popular stories about the Reformation is the story of Luther nailing the 95 Theses on the church door at Wittenberg. But did this really happen? Historians now doubt that this happened.


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